Bill Supplee
 Supplee of the Maryland athletic board in 1942 | |
| Position: | End, back |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth: | c. 1903 |
| Place of birth: | Washington, D.C. |
| Date of death: | July 1966 |
| Place of death: | Laurel, Maryland |
| Career information | |
| College: | Maryland (1923–1926) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
William C. "Zuke" Supplee (December 21, 1903 – July 1966)[1] was an American educator and college athlete. He attended the University of Maryland where he played college football and basketball for the Maryland Terrapins, and competed in track & field. In 1923, he received second-team All-America football honors, which made him the first Maryland player honored as such.
Early life and college
Supplee was born in Washington, D.C.[2] In 1922, he enrolled at the University of Maryland. During his initial year, he competed on the freshman track and football teams. Supplee earned varsity football letters each of the next three seasons.[2] In 1923, Supplee was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press, which made him the first Maryland football player to receive All-America honors.[3][4] His performances during the team's win against Penn and its narrow loss to period powerhouse, Yale, have been cited as the main reasons for his selection.[5] He also received an All-America honorable mention from Walter Camp.[6] In 1924, he was selected to the All-South Atlantic and the All-Maryland football teams, the latter of which was composed of the state's best players. Walter Camp again named Supplee an honorable mention All-American.[7] In his final season in 1925, he served as the football team's captain.[2]
Despite all of his athletic endeavors, Supplee excelled in his academic studies. One of his professors said of him, "To those who slander the American athlete as being a poor student and inferior intellect, I should like to point out Supplee as Maryland's refutation."[2] Supplee graduated in 1926 with a bachelor of science degree in education.[2]
Later life
He later earned a doctorate and served on the university's faculty as a chemistry professor in the 1940s and 1950s.[8][9][10][11] He also served on the university's athletic board.[9]
Supplee and his wife, Grace, had two daughters. He drowned in 1966 at Rocky Gorge Reservoir in Laurel, Maryland at the age of 63.[12] His wife, Grace died in 2000. In 1982, Supplee was posthumously inducted into the University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame.[13][14]
References
- ↑ WILLIAM SUPPLEE (1903-1966), Social Security Death Index
- 1 2 3 4 5 Reveille, Class of 1926, University of Maryland yearbook.
- ↑ "ACC All-Americans", 2007 Atlantic Coast Conference Media Guide, 2007, retrieved 23 December 2008.
- ↑ All-Time Honors, 2001 Maryland Terrapins Football Media Guide, University of Maryland and CBS Sports, retrieved 22 December 2008.
- ↑ David Ungrady, Tales from the Maryland Terrapins, p. 26, Sports Publishing LLC, 2003, ISBN 1-58261-688-4.
- ↑ WALTER CAMP PICKS ALL-AMERICA TEAMS; Yale and Cornell Each Receive Two Places on the First Eleven. 26 UNIVERSITIES INCLUDED Twenty-three Eastern Players, Eight Western and Two Southern Named in Collier's, The New York Times, December 18, 1923.
- ↑ Reveille, Class of 1925, University of Maryland.
- ↑ Reveille, Class of 1931, University of Maryland yearbook.
- 1 2 Terrapin, Class of 1948, University of Maryland yearbook.
- ↑ Terrapin, Class of 1941, University of Maryland yearbook.
- ↑ Terrapin, Class of 1950, University of Maryland yearbook.
- ↑ DR. SUPPLEE 63, DROWNS; Former Researcher At U.M. Was Outstanding Athlete, The Baltimore Sun, July 27, 1966.
- ↑ Appendix H: University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame 1982-1998, The M Club, retrieved 23 December 2008.
- ↑ Maryland Athletics Walk of Fame and History, "Traditions", University of Maryland Terrapins Athletics official website, retrieved 23 December 2008.